Writing and Research Tips

• Writing and Research in the Department of Literature
• Dr. Gillum's Dos and Don'ts for Scholarly Writing
• Grading Standards in the Department of Literature and Language
• How To Get Good Grades In Literature

Writing and Research in the Department of Literature

The department believes strongly that writing is an essential part of the learning process in courses in literature, and that research, broadly defined, is an essential part of any education. Research lies at the heart of your studies in this department, with close study and reading providing the foundation for research. By cultivating these skills, students learn the most that can be known about a work, an author, or a period and ultimately put these skills into practice in writing the research paper.

Writing about what you have learned enables you to develop knowledge and gain understanding. Further, the research paper provides a way of sharing knowledge with a community of scholars, both at the UNC Asheville and around the globe. By making your work public, you help others learn and grow. 

By researching and writing in all of your courses, you will acquire the habit of reading both primary and secondary materials and will gain greater understanding.

You will be expected to write well and revise your work. By thinking, speaking, composing, revising, and editing, you will cultivate a strong writing style, expand your horizons, develop important cognitive skills, gain aesthetic appreciation, and learn how to produce qualitative work.

A Few Specific Suggestions

• Every Literature major should own a copy of "A Glossary of Literary Terms," by M.H. Abrams, the "MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers," and perhaps a brief guide such and Strunk and White's "Elements of Style" or William Zinsser's "On Writing Well."
• For questions of formatting papers and of simple matters of documentation, consult a source such as the MLA Handbook or http://www.dianahacker.com/pdf/Hacker-MLAupdates.pdf
• The department does not assume all students already know how to do research. Information Literacy Intensive classes devote time to research methods. Most literature courses will provide some of the instruction you need in class, but you should feel free to seek advice and suggestions from your instructor.

Dr. Gillum's Dos and Don'ts for Scholarly Writing

SCHOLARLY WRITING is a genre aimed at a particular audience and having certain conventions -- meaning, that's just the way it's done. Academic term papers and articles intended for scholarly publication follow these conventions. There are, of course, many other kinds of writing to which these conventions do not apply. For example, what you are reading is not scholarly writing and does not follow the rules that it states. And some college writing assignments will explicitly ask for a more personal and informal approach. However, all your teachers will be happy if you follow these conventions in writing regular term papers. They are not "what I want," rather they represent standard good practice.

FORMAT

1. Follow MLA-style format and documentation. All your questions should be answered by the section on MLA style at http://www.dianahacker.com/pdf/Hacker-MLAupdates.pdf Develop the habit of consulting it when you are in doubt. When writing for other departments, use the format expected in that discipline.

AUDIENCE

2. Imagine your audience as a community of intellectually curious, educated people who are interested in the kind of thing you are writing about and probably know something about it (unless your subject is an obscure one). Probably they have read the literary text you are discussing, but maybe not lately. They expect you to follow the conventions of scholarly discourse. Your instructors will model this imaginary audience when they evaluate your papers.

STYLE

3.1 Aim for a mature, graceful, semi-formal style and tone. Avoid slang. Avoid the impersonal "you," which is too colloquial.

3.2 However, also avoid cumbersome formality. It is OK to use "I" and "we." It is better to say "we see" than the passive "it is seen." Do not refer to yourself as "this writer" etc. Do not write "it is the purpose of this paper to. . . ."

STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

4.1 Your paper must have a unifying theme. Usually this should be stated near the end of the first paragraph. It is best if you have a thesis with an argumentative edge--a point to be established by analysis.

4.2 The paper must have a structure of ideas that goes somewhere. Usually it is best not to strictly follow the order of plot in a story or of lines in a poem. You create an order of ideas about the literary work.

4.3 Use conceptual rather than narrative topic sentences for your paragraphs. That is, begin most body paragraphs with an IDEA, expressed in your own words, that ties back to or supports some aspect of the overall thesis of the paper. Do not begin with material from a source. You control the development of the essay; introduce the sources to support your ideas. A list of these conceptual topic sentences should constitute an argument in summary form. (An argument is a structure of thought that goes somewhere; it need not be overtly contentious.)

4.4 Do not include a lengthy plot summary or description unless the work you are discussing is little known. Just remind readers of what they need to know if they are to follow the points you are making.

4.5 Do not let a secondary source supply the structure of your argument. You must get your mind around secondary sources and use them critically, with a conscious awareness that each represents only one approach to the literary text. It can be helpful to concentrate on conflicts that you discover between two secondary sources.

4.6 Secondary sources other than critical discussions of your primary text are good to use--history, philosophy, sociology, critical theory, etc. Then you can discover a relation between the secondary source and your primary text, allowing you to say something original.

INTRODUCTION

5.1 The introduction should set up the theme or thesis by a) providing background needed to understand it, or b) preparing the reader to understand its importance or interest, or c) providing a survey of critical thought about the text or issue (what scholars have already said about it).

5.2 Do not use the first paragraph to summarize your paper at length.

5.3 Do not begin with "Throughout history. . ." or anything resembling that high-school cliché.

5.4 Quotations can be interesting beginning points.

5.5 In the process of composing, you may want to bypass the introduction and come back to it after your argument has taken shape.

CONCLUSION

6.1 The conclusion should not go off into wholly new ground, nor should it merely summarize. It may draw out implications or consequences of the point that has been made or show how the reader's understanding of the point is deeper now than it was when the point was first stated in the introduction.

6.2 Short papers do not need elaborate conclusions.

TITLE

7.1 Make the title so informative that someone seeing it in an index would know exactly what the paper is about.

7.2 A clever title or a short quotation may be combined with an informative subtitle, using a colon (:) between them.

7.3 Do not underline, do not put in italics, do not bold-face. Type the title in the normal font, with initial capitals.

PAGE FORMAT

8.1 Do not use a title page. Put your name, course, instructor, and date in upper left. Double space and type the title.

8.2 Pages must be numbered. Insert the header in the upper left corner: Your last name page #

8.3 Use double spacing and normal (1") margins.

8.4  Do not use a cover or folder of any kind.

USE OF QUOTATIONS

9.1 Use frequent short quotations from your primary text to support your points.

9.2 Do not use long quotations unless you will discuss them at length.

9.3 Typically in this sort of writing, about 10% of the text consists of quotations.

SIGNAL PHRASES WITH QUOTATIONS

10.1 Use a signal phrase to introduce almost every quotation. This usually means identifying the author, sometimes the text, part of a text, or speaker.

• Gilbert and Grubar claim that “only madwomen inhabit literary attics" (54).
• By the end of Book III, Winston Smith is so deranged as to say “I love Big Brother” (235).

10.2 Use the author's full name on first mention, then last name only in subsequent mentions.

10.3 The reader will assume that authors of secondary sources are recent scholars in the field you are writing about, so no identification of such writers is necessary. Other kinds of writers should be identified with qualifiers:

• Phoux, a seventeenth-century theologian, said, “Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana” (qtd. in Crowe).

• According to Jill Bramble, an anthropologist who studies the Cabbage People, “The patch is the place to be in June" (271).

MECHANICS OF QUOTATION

11.1 A sentence that includes a quotation should still be a grammatical and properly punctuated sentence if the quotation marks are hypothetically removed.

11.2 Use ellipsis points within brackets [. . .] to signal deletions only if needed to avoid misleading the reader. If it is obvious that something has been left out, ellipsis points are not needed. For example, it would be silly to signal deletions when you quote only a phrase. Don’t use ellipses at the beginning or ending of your quotation, only to signify material left out of a quotation once you’ve begun quoting it.

11.3 Space between ellipsis points: [. . .] NOT [...].

11.4 Use a fourth point to show you’ve passed the end of one sentence: [. . . .]

11.5 Periods with parenthetical citation: place after the parenthesis except for block quotes; for block quotes (no quotation marks), place the period before the parenthesis.

11.6 NOTE: Periods and commas adjacent to closing quotation marks: place periods and commas INSIDE the quotation marks unless a parenthetical citation follows.

11.7 Don’t double punctuation. If the title ends with a question mark, don’t add a period.

11.8 Always show the line-endings of quoted poetry; use a virgule (/) or, if quotation is blocked in, set the lines as you found them.

PARAPHRASING

12.1 Put the material completely into your own words and your own sentence patterns.

12.2 If you want to use a distinctive phrase from the source, put the phrase in quotation marks. No need to use quotation marks for single words unless they are highly distinctive or technical terms. In that case use quotation marks for the first mention and then drop them for subsequent mentions.

GENDER PRONOUNS

13.1 Use of the masculine pronouns to refer to all persons has become unacceptable in modern scholarly usage. However, don't create agreement problems in the course of trying to avoid "he." Don't write "if a student misses class, they must make it up," but instead shift everything into the plural, as in "if students miss class, they must make it up."

13.2 Don't use "he/she" or "s/he," which are unpronounceable. Occasional use of "he or she" is OK. (Don't overdo, or it gets awkward.) Some writers alternate between "she" and "he."

13.3 If the persons being referred to are likely of one gender, it's OK to use "she" or "he," as appropriate. ("A medieval priest probably would not have brushed his teeth.")

SPELLING

14.1 The possessive of "it" is its with no apostrophe, NOT it's. The plural of "scientist" and other words in -ist is scientists, NOT scientist.

14.2 Always use a spell-check program and look up the options if you are not sure which one is correct.

VERB TENSE

15.1 Use present tense for fictional actions.

15.2 Use past tense for historical actions.                  

Grading Standards in the Department of Literature and Language

In order to avoid confusion about departmental standards and expectations, the following guidelines will apply to all assigned paper and essay exams. Individual instructors have the authority to emphasize one element or standard more than another and may provide you with either an oral or written extension of these guidelines. In lieu of other instructions, however, the following criteria will apply:

(A) The A essay is an excellent piece of writing. It presents a focused thesis that is clearly supported throughout the essay. It is structurally sound, with smooth and apt transitions between sentences and paragraphs. The work demonstrates effective organization and development of ideas as well as originality and substantive content. The essay logically moves toward its stated purpose, and is appropriate in language and style for its audience. The writing is clear and controlled, and the language is often sophisticated, effective, and interesting. Papers at this level show an ability to interpret or criticize in depth; often, they reveal creative and imaginative approaches. The essay is original, forceful, and compelling; it is free of spelling, typographic, and/or other grammatical errors. If documentation is required, clear and graceful signal phrases appear in text, and style conventions in the Works Cited are accurately followed. In other words, an A paper is one of exceedingly high quality.

• Grade inflation in high schools and in many college classes may lead students to believe that "good" work is the same as "excellent" work. It is not. The Department of Literature and Language maintains standards and believes that an A must be earned honestly and diligently. To lower those standards harms all students by devaluing the quality of their education.

(B) The B essay is a good piece of writing. It supports a thesis in an organized and thoughtful way, developing the subject with few mechanical errors. The B essay shows an ability to discuss or interpret on more than a superficial level. The language is effective. Such work differs from A work in that it may show definite competence while lacking distinction; the examples and details may be pertinent, but not particularly revealing or interesting. It may contain shortcomings, such as occasional monotony in expression, lack of originality, ambiguity in purpose, or some lack of precision and economy in word choice. If documentation is required, clear and graceful signal phrases appear most of the time in text, and style conventions in the Works Cited are closely, if not perfectly, followed.

(C) The C essay is a fair piece of writing, acceptable college work. It meets the minimum requirements of the assignment. There is likely a thesis, but it may be too broad or too narrow, or not adequately supported throughout the essay. It reveals an adequate grasp of subject and a basic understanding of major elements. It offers examples but may rely on predictable arguments and obvious supports or hasty generalizations. There are likely transitional flaws. Language is adequate, but flawed with awkwardness and/or imprecision. There are likely spelling, typographic, and/or grammatical errors in most paragraphs. Logic may not always be evident; some ideas may not be clearly explained. The C essay lacks originality, significant purpose, or development. If documentation is required, some signal phrases may be missing from the text, and the Works Cited may contain repeated errors. In general, a C paper fails to show an understanding or appreciation of more subtle qualities in language or the subject being written about. On the other hand, it remains minimally satisfactory.

(D) The D essay falls below acceptable college standards. It may partially address the assignment, but lacks insight corresponding to the goal of the essay. It may express a thesis, but it is likely inappropriate for the assignment. Paragraphs do not exhibit coherent organization or sufficient development. Imprecise word choice, monotonous sentence patterns, rambling or illogical organization, and repetition of ideas may be present on every page. Sentences are poorly constructed, and spelling, typing, and/or grammatical errors appear frequently. If documentation is required, signal phrases do not appear in the text, and the Works Cited contains a large number of errors.

(F) The F essay is an unsuccessful piece of writing that shows a multitude of flaws. It may have no thesis or no support, little development or organization of ideas. It likely contains many spelling, typing, and grammatical errors. The essay may show little understanding of the assignment. If documentation is required, the lack of accurate source attribution may suggest plagiarism. An essay that receives a failing grade means that performance on the particular assignment is markedly below college standards and that prompt intervention and improvement needs to be made if the student hopes to pass the class.

How To Get Good Grades In Literature (and what to do if you don't)         

Becoming involved in a poem, novel, or play - experiencing it, reading and re-reading it - is the only real means of appreciating it. And it is unlikely that anyone who has not gone through such a process can discuss literature with any vital sense of understanding. That means that literature must be read differently from the way you read People Magazine. A new skill is involved: one that has to be learned.

Reading literature means reading slowly. It means re-reading. Words are subtle. They have many meanings. A good grade is achieved by becoming involved in the subject. And you get involved only by reading thoughtfully, only by taking notes on what you are reading, only by asking questions of yourself ("What is the author trying to show me here?" "Why is he or she saying it in this fashion?" "Is he or she implying more than one meaning?" "What kind of values is the author showing me?").

Students who earn A's go even further. They do extra reading in the library - in critical journals, in biographies on authors. They assume that literature, like a good problem in geometry, requires something more than merely reading the assignment.

If you can truly say that you have put out such effort, if you have truly studied, written out notes, formulated questions, read extra material - if you can say all that and you still aren't receiving A's or B's, then see your instructor for personal guidance.

 But don't go to the instructor to complain that you always received A's in high school or from other teachers. The standards of quality in UNC Asheville’s Department of Literature and Language are high. We expect more from you. And when you do perform at the highest level, the reward will be honestly and justly earned.

 If you feel, however, that a grade has been unfairly given, the following procedure will apply:

1. As a matter of courtesy you must discuss the situation first with your instructor. If you go to the Department Chair or to the Vice Chancellor you will only be sent back to the instructor. Ninety percent of all misunderstandings can be solved, and should be solved, at this level.
2. If you cannot come to an agreement with the instructor, inform him or her that you would like to discuss it further with the Department Chair. Do not go to the Chair without informing the instructor. It is only a common courtesy to be forthright about your problem. The Department Chair will attempt to negotiate a solution. He or she will not over-ride the instructor's prerogative to assign a grade.
3. Contact the "Faculty Conciliator." Your Student Handbook, published by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, will give you complete information.